The call that threatened me in Moscow

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Are you at work now?” asked a man who called my mobile phone without introducing himself, identified me as The Times correspondent and read out the address of my office.

Told that I wasn’t, he continued: “Well, what time each day do you start and finish work?” I asked who wanted to know. The stranger ignored my question and persisted, saying: “Just tell me, roughly, what time you normally get to and leave your office each day?”

I demanded again to know who was calling. With a trace of arrogance that made plain he was lying, the voice replied: “It’s